RKDBC Tools — Tech Coaches

By reducing barriers to reading across Canada with digital book clubs, we can help to boost equity and enable more inclusive communities that support diverse groups of underrepresented older adults and others in need.

The Rakuten Kobo Digital Book Club initiative provides merited nonprofit organizations with the opportunity to host a technology-based book club designed to remove challenges that would exclude someone from participating, such as low-income, no access to the Internet, physical limitations to reading books, or a lack of basic digital literacy skills. Qualified club host organizations receive all of the eReader devices, eBooks, and instructions needed to plan, launch, and maintain a new club. Virtual training for club coordinators and the first group of club members is also included to ensure everything runs smoothly from the start!

The purpose of this website is to provide new Club Coordinators with all the guidance, information, and resources in one convenient place online, so it’s always available. As you progress through the stages involved with getting your digital book club off the ground, be sure to review and complete the material below, which should help you stay on track with where you’re at and what to do next.

Process for Club Coordinator

So you've received this package or landed on this page and are interested in hosting an RKDBC at your organization. The first thing is to meet with Tech Coaches to confirm eligibility.
Upon your organization is a candidate for a digital book club, Tc will tailor a Letter of Engagement to be signed by the Club Host site or Club Coordinator.
Click here to download the Opportunity to Host - Information Package
If you have met with Tech Coaches and your organization is a potential host site for a book club, Tech Coaches will provide you with a Letter of Engagement.
Signing this Letter of Engagement will kick off your organization's possible start of a book club.
This is only a sample. Please do not attempt to tailor or edit this file. Instead, you will receive a tailored letter from Tech Coaches.
Click here to view a sample Letter of Engagement
Material
Upon returning the signed Letter of Engagement, Tech Coaches will provide you with two tailored promotional tools for your organization's use.
Click here to download a sample Promo Poster
Click here to download a sample Social Media Graphic
Please do not attempt to edit or tailor these files on your own. Tech Coaches will customize and send them to you via email.
How to Recruit
We encourage you to promote this initiative as you would any other program/service at your organization. We highly recommend reading our guide on how to promote the Rakuten Kobo Digital Book Club.
Click here to download the How to Promote Guide
Typical club promotion could take 2-4 weeks. During this promotion time, Tech Coaches will regularly communicate with the Club Coordinator.
NOTE: If you find it hard to communicate the book club to clients or have clients on the fence about joining or general questions, Tech Coaches would be happy to host a virtual information session. You can invite clients to find out more about what the book club offers since you are new to it too!
A minimum of 8 members are required to facilitate a meaningful book club experience. When the club coordinator meets the minimum requirement or feels they are at a number they can facilitate a book club with, the Club Coordinator is to report the number to Tech Coaches.
To receive the devices, report the final number to melinda@techcoaches.ca.
If your roaster is at an appropriate number and has targeted the discussed client base, devices will be shipped to your organization.
Upon shipment, you will be given a timeline of their arrival so you can arrange to receive them, as they will need to be signed for.
Confirm receipt of the eReaders by emailing melinda@techcoaches.ca. You will then be provided with a list of Kobo Plus account details for each of the eReaders.
NOTE: It is the Club Coordinators’ responsibility to set up the devices prior to distribution to Club Members. Before distribution, please complete Step 6. The distribution can occur shortly before the scheduled training event or upon welcoming members to the training if conducted in person.
Club Coordinator and Tech Coaches will connect over Zoom to go over how to configure the devices correctly.
Click to download the Steps on How to set up the Kobo eReader
At this stage, the virtual Club Membership training will be set.
The devices are now a part of your organization. It is your responsibility to manage the devices such as lending and their care. Your club will be running for one year, and hopefully longer, as these devices will surpass that.
NOTE: Members are not financially responsible for the devices.
When distributing the devices and charging cord, we recommend having members sign off on their commitment to using the device respectfully/carefully and agree to return it when they are no longer participating in the club.
If your organization already has something in place for a standardized device lending agreement, please continue with what you see fit. This will remain in your records and does not need to be shared with Tech Coaches or Rakuten Kobo.
Click here to Download a copy of the Device Lending Agreement
Club Coordinators are encouraged to share the Kobo Libra H20 eReader device instructions available in print and video format to support members after the training event. It is up to the Club Coordinator to distribute via email or print the PDF version for distribution at their own expense.
NOTE: These should be used by Club Coordinators for any basic assistance if members are seeking it.
Click here to download the Kobo Libra H20 Device Print Instructions
Click here to download the Kobo Libra H20 Device Video Instructions
This will be held virtually over a Zoom Meeting hosted by Tech Coaches. This training will be up to 1.5 hours. Club Members and Club Coordinators must attend.
Tech Coaches will share a Zoom link prior to the event. Club Coordinators are responsible for preparing Club members on how to set up and use Zoom on their devices. Otherwise, gather everyone in the same room and project us on a screen/tv to watch the training event.
NOTE: Before this training, we ask that you have your first title picked, so we can teach members how to search for and download the title. Find titles that are available on the Kobo Plus subscription here. "You Can't Iron a Wrinkled Birthday Suit" by Sharon Phennah will be your club's first book if no title is chosen.
At this training, Tech Coaches will facilitate the first survey/feedback collection to be done by each individual. These are anonymous and short scaling questions. If club members have joined virtually, they can access the survey through the Zoom Chat and complete it on their device before the training ends. If members have gathered in person, Club Coordinators may need to consider having a device set up in the room if members have gathered in a physical space for training. Perhaps one laptop is set up with the survey open so that they can complete it before members leave.
Sample Survey
This sample is just an image of a survey. The survey provided to you will be hosted online via a link to the SurveyMonkey survey.
The only expectation from you as a host site of a book club is to facilitate the collection of data from the club membership. This feedback will help us gauge members' book club experience, understand their experience adopting new technology, and use technology to facilitate socialization. Overall, how socialization and reading on an eReader have enhanced people's lives in their mature years. Similar to the feedback collected at the training, all data will be collected via an online Survey Monkey and collection to occur after monthly meetings.
If your club meets virtually, you will have to distribute the survey link via email. If members have gathered in person, Club Coordinators may need to consider having a device set up in the room if members have gathered in a physical space for training. Perhaps one laptop is set up with the survey open so that they can complete it before members leave.
NOTE: As soon as your club meetings are scheduled, please share these dates with Tech Coaches so that they can send you appropriate surveys.
If you haven't already, report this first meeting date to Tech Coaches.
If you are new to running a book club, either virtual or in-person and need somewhere to start at how to run it, please see our Guide to Digital Book Club Success resource below. In this guide are instructions on facilitating conversation, how to come up with questions and conversation starters.
P.S. Don't forget to complete the survey!